The last
by car54
Summary: The last surviving castaway reflects on her lost friends and her own future.


She had lost her last companion a few weeks ago. Although, really, for the last weeks of his life, the professor had been more of a patient that a companion. Now, Mary Ann the youngest of the castaways was the last of the castaways. Mary Ann sat in the sand at the lagoon and looked out as she thought about each of the others, who had become her family. She thought the five times before this that she had to cope with losing one of them. Mrs. Howell was the first one they lost. Mary Ann remembered being a little put out at first by Mrs. Howells haughty attitude but the matron of the Howell empire soon warmed up to everyone and they to her. Maybe at first she just needed social contact, even if it had to be common people. But them she took on an almost motherly role. Eventually age caught up to her. One day she just didn't wake up. Mr. Howell didn't last long after losing his "lovey". He used to make comments implying that she was only the second most important thing is his life after his money, but everyone, including his wife knew that beneath the wizard of Wall Street image, he loved her more that all of his wealth, more than his own life. After she was gone, he hardly ate anything or even got out of bed. He also slipped away in the middle of the night.

Mary Ann walked back to the huts after a while. Some of them were in need of repair. She had been able to do some of it by herself. She might not be big or strong but growing up on a farm, she was no stranger to hard work, and had learned that you can't accept that it can't be done, you find a way. Her own hut, the one she had shared with Ginger, was in good shape. She remembered the red headed bombshell that she had come to think of as a sister. When they met in Hawaii, Mary Ann was star struck and envied Ginger, until she got to be Ginger for a while. It taught her to value her own life, being you idol wasn't all you might hope. Ginger didn't get to go as quietly as the Howells did. One day while walking around in the jungle in her high heels she fell, hurting herself badly including a gash in her leg. It became infected and as hard as the professor tried, he didn't have the means to produce an adequate antibiotic. Fortunately he was able to make a sedative that left her unaware at the end.

Mary Ann sat at what has been their communal table, where they had their meals and spent much of their time either talking or listening to the radio. After Gingers death they all got a little grim about the prospect of spending the rest of their lives here. But soon returned to their routines for several years nothing changed. Then the Skipper became ill. He was losing weight and couldn't do his share of the work. Gilligan told him not to worry about it. He tried to make a joke of it saying that it was a good thing that he was here and not his older cousin Maynard, who went into a panic on even hearing the word work. The professor told them that, while he could not give a definite diagnosis the Skipper may have cancer. When they left Hawaii, even the best medical facilities could do very little about cancer, and he didn't have any of their resources.

Gilligan was devastated after losing the Skipper. But stepped up to take care of the rest as he said the Skipper would want him to. He vented his grief and worry's to her, that he couldn't handle it. Their talks brought them closer. They might have gotten much closer but the castaways had an understanding that there could never be any "physical relations" because it would be wrong to condemn a child to a being trapped on this island from cradle to grave. Still she cherished the talks they had. He even confided about some of the wild dreams he often had. Like one that seemed to be a mix of Jekyll and Hide, Mary Poppins and My fair lady, or his dream that they had all escaped the island on a rocket only to be marooned on an alien planet. Then Gilligan became ill. He could not keep up the pace with his work and she and the professor had to do more and more of his work. Only after Gilligan passed did she realize how fond of him she had become. It hit her much harder than she had expected.

After that she and the Professor made do the best they could together. He had anticipated that he might pass ahead of her and made Shure that she knew how to recharge the radio batteries and produce what medicines they could from native plants. Of course, that had proven wise when age finally caught up with him. She went to back to her hut and sat on her bed, pondering her own future. She would never hear another human voice other than her own. Also, when age and illness, or an injury took its toll on her there would be no one to help her or comfort her as she lies in this bed dying. That's when it all came crashing down on her. The loneliness and the fear that she had kept at bay broke through. She looked up and screamed at the top of her lungs 'I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE!" She fell to her bed and cried. She cried until she fell asleep and as she slept, in her dreams she saw all of her friends again.


End file.
